Apparatus for coloring tobacco



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ATTORN .f C #e Ik,

Patented May 1,' 1888.

kA.PlURA'IUS lFRl GOLORING TOBACCO.

-J` K. HAR-DWIGKE e J. J. REUNION.

(No Model.)

BSK/m llivirsn STATES ATENT Ormes.

JAMns it. HARDWioKn AND JAMES J. REDMoN, oF MARsHALL, NoRTn CAROLINA. y

APPARATUS FOR COLORING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,084. dated May 1, 1888.

Application filed December 29, 1857, Serial No. 959,351. (No modelJA To tu whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES K. HARDWIOKE and JAMES J. REDMON, both of Marshall, in the county of Madison and State of North Car olina, haveinvented a new and Improved Ap paratus for Coloring Tobacco, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

-Our invention relates to apparatus for coloring or bleaching cured or dried tobacco plants and leaves, and has forits object to provide an efficient, inexpensive, and conven iently-operated apparatus of this character byl the use of which the tobacco may be bleached by the actinic or chemical action of the suns rays to a desirable and uniformly bright or lemon color, to enhance the value of the crop.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the apparatus, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the gures.

Figure lis a perspectiveview of a building, partly broken away and in section, and embodying our improvements; and Fig. 2 is an, end view of the building, partly in transverse section.

The building A may have any desired size and may be entirely devoted to the coloring of tobacco according to our method, or may be used in part for other purposes, as a tobaccopacking room' or as an oi'dinary barn, for instance. The building shown is arranged in Vthe last-named manner, one side or half of it being devoted to coloring or bleaching the tobacco crop andthe other side being arranged as a packingroom.

In carrying out our invention we make one side of the building A-that side facing the southas largely as possible of glass,B, which in its composition contains the largest possible percentage of oxide of lead, which gives the best results in refracting the suns rays upon t-lietobacco-plants,T,within the building. The plants or leaves are hung upon sticks or hars C, which are fitted into notches d, made in posts or. upright timbers or bars D, which are i 5o journaled at top and bottom to-the frame of the building, so as to be capable of axial ron tation to swing the horizontally-ranging tobacco-holding sticks C around in horizontal plane to most advantageously present all faces of the tobacco-leaves to t-he light, as hereinafter more fully explained. The sticks C are held within the post-notches d, preferably by 'buttons E, pivoted to the posts and lapping There may be one or morefront ,or outer row, to assure the best exposure of the plants or leaves on the sticks of all the posts. I

An important feature of our invention consists in setting up a light-redecting plate or mirror, F, made of any approved materials, at the rear wall or side of the tobacco-bleaching room, for the purpose of reflecting the sunlight passing through and refracted by the glass or transparent side wall, B, ofthe building.

Ve provide for turning the posts D by means of cords or ropes G, which are wound at their central parts around the posts and are passed at opposite ends into the packing-room behind the bleaching or coloring room, thus allowing each or every post to be turned either way as much or as often as may be necessary to present all faces of the tobacco plants or leaves hung on the post-sticks for the most effective bleaching action of the direct or reflected light. We show the post-operating cords G passed through lholes g in the reflector F to the packing-room, and the reflector is provided with peep-holes f, to give the person operating the cords a. full View of the plants or leaves in the bleaching-room, to enable him to properly adj ust the posts to present the tobacco to thelight to the best advantage.

It is obvious that with the tobacco arranged upon posts adapted for rotation behind a glass or transparent wall, and especially when ai'- ranged between said wall and an oppositelylocated light-redecting surface, substantially as herein described, the plants or leaves may be conveniently changed in position to present all parts of them to the actinic'or chemical action of the direct or the direct and reflected rays of the sun to bring the tobacco to a uniform delicate lemon color,and thereby largely enhance its market value. It will be noticed that the plants or leaves may be subjected to this treatment Without being directly handled after attaching them to the posts; hence there is very little liability of crumbling the tobacco, which, if done, would damage and materially lessen the value of the crop.

Havingthus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in apparatus for coloring tobacco plants or leaves, of a structure provided with a transparent or translucent outer wall, an inner light-reflecting wall, and plant or leaf supports or racks arranged between the two walls, substantially as shown and described, whereby the plants or leaves on the racks will receive both direct and reflected. light to give them a uniform color, as herein set forth.

2. The combination, in apparatus Afor coloring or bleaching tobacco plants or leaves, of a structure provided with a glass or transparent Outer wall, an inner light-reflecting wall, and a series of revoluble tobacco supports arranged between said outer and inner walls, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination, in apparatus for coloring or bleaching tobacco plants or leaves, of a house or structure provided with a glass or transparent outer wall and an inner'lightreflecting wall, thereby subjecting the plants or leaves to direct and reflected light, substantially as specified,a series of revoluble tobaccosupports arranged behind said Wall, and cords Wound on these supports and leading to one side of the bleaching-room for operating the supports, substantially as herein set forth.

Witnesses:

C. L. McPEETERs, J. JARRETT. 

